Vanilla, Strawberries, and Scarlet
by GunnerPuppy
Summary: He drifted off into sleep, nostrils filled with the tinge of vanilla, strawberries, and scarlet. A collection of memories, and their triggers. Jerza, Drabbleish, T mainly for violence and as a cautionary.
1. Close Proximity

Close Proximity

Jellal plopped down on the sand next to Erza. His eyes sparkled with interest as he watched the waves smash against the shore of the island, the afternoon sun shined brightly with no mercy scorching the crystal sand. His scarlet headed friend was tracing patterns in the ground with a piece of waterlogged driftwood, her brow creased in deep thought.

"Something botherin' ya Erza?" Jellal inquired lazily.

"Huh?" She looked up, startled by his presence, "Oh, nothing really. I'm fine," she said, wanting to look strong, yet she was unable to hide how her voice was raw from thirst.

Jellal sighed. "We're all thirsty, huh?" he mused. "At least we were able to have free time. I wonder what brought the Priest's change in heart on," he pondered.

Erza, however, simply smiled as Jellal became lost in his own thoughts. She ever so slowly inched closer to him, praying he wouldn't notice. She could feel the warmth radiating off him as it always did. She nearly started when he shifted position, breaking her trance. He flopped on his stomach, propping his head up with his hands. She mimicked him and took the chance to get even closer, pressing up ever so slightly against his warm body. She folded her arms and used them as a pillow upon which she rested her head, closing her eyes she allowed his warm familiar scent to envelope her and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Jellal, who had been apparently oblivious to her close proximity, grinned, and admired her adorably peaceful face. He wanted nothing more than this moment to never end, cherishing the warmth of her next to him, and he himself drifted off into sleep, nostrils filled with the tinge of vanilla, strawberries, and scarlet.

**Author Note: I'm open to comments and suggestions. This chapter is short but's kind of an introduction of sorts so I didn't want stretch it. I'll try to update every other week at the least but school is starting next week and I have to keep my grades for the most part above the 94% range to achieve honors for 9th grade(yay me :-/)!**


	2. 5 More Minutes

**Author Note: Wow, I started to update but lost all I had(really I was only a few paragraphs past the author note, so no big deal). Wow, it's Fri. night and on Tues. school starts. 8th grade! *gleefully squealed dripping with sarcasm* Wish me well with keeping my math and science grades at a minimum of 95% or dying trying (LOL, I want to make honors in 9th grade and that's what I have to achieve to get that). Any way I'm missing my school in Serbia, but its nice in someways to be living close to family(or is it LOL). Well I'm in a surprisingly giddy mood for being forced into updating(so many stories I've been reading are being updated at a good progress and here I have less than 1,000 words so, yeah so far its been drabbleish *grins at laziness and made up words* Yep, totally in a giddy mood(enjoy while it lasts! Oww! I've been swinging my feet and stubbed my toe. OWW! You think I'd learn from the time a few minutes ago! Rawr! I added these annoying comments to the top author's note to avoid interrupting the story, I just wanted you all to know how painful and hazardous it is to write when feeling fidgety. This is pre-Tower of Heaven arc, probably towards the end of the Loke arc.**

**Chapter 1: 5 More Minutes**

Erza rolled over tangled in sheets, she yawned and opened her eyes.

"Ughhh!" _bad idea_ she recoiled as the light filtering in through the window hit her like a sledge hammer, she found her self disoriented but then began collecting her thoughts so she would trump the feeling of confusion hating weakness. Her room in Fairy Hills was as quiet and spacious as always, yet something was off and it was killing the scarlet haired requip mage, she hated feeling anything remote to unease about such mundane things as location. She went through enough mental stress for things like this, she wanted badly to go back to sleep, she would love to squirm to the bottom of her sheets but she knew for a fact that if she gave in for "just 5 minutes" that she would want another 5 min- 5... minutes...

_"Erza, Erza." A soft voice called. The said girl only groaned. "C'mon Erza, we have to get to work." the voice whispered softly once more tickling her ear, this caused the corners of her lips to twitch up into a smile._

**_"Five... more... minutes..." _**_she murmured softly, provoking a sigh to graze her ear,_

Erza stiffened at the memories that were now painful and tainted as she recalled the events following those words...

_Erza yawned blinking open her eyes which quickly adjusted to the dim lighting of their cells. She was confused, for she was warm as was the space around her despite the cold air, but then she turned her head and realized the source of her warmth was none other that Jellal, she blushed a deep crimson even darker than the color of her hair when she noticed his arms around her waist, even for his young age they were tan and toned from slaving in the sun day after day to create the R-System. This caused the boy to chuckle a bit which made even her ears burn, secretly she loved waking up to warmth apposed to cold painful stiff joints. All good things must come to an end though, after a short comfortable silence she rolled over and sat up to see that the others were still sleeping soundly, especially Grandpa Rob, Sho twitched in his sleep and let out a groan, which was followed by a yelp. She could guess he was having a nightmare, she shivered and decided not to think about what the details might be. Her azure haired friend noticed both the groans of the boy and the shivers of the scarlet haired girl and wrapped her in a warm hug to attempt to rid her mind of the cruel situations there slumbering friend may be facing in his subconscious. She visibly relaxed in his embrace and began to breathe evenly again, but that was fleeting as her heart kicked up again at his close proximity. That however didn't last as his hand gently traced circles on her back which ceased the rampage of her fluttering heart. She stretched and with his help began to gently rouse the others, over the years the ragtag group found that if they were up before the priests came in to wake them, they could avoid gashes and swelling caused from painful lacerations created by whips. Erza found herself in awe at how stressful, confusing, and emotional the morning had become after only being awake for roughly a quarter of an hour._

Erza shuttered wishing she could forget the memories from that tower, of that time, and most regretfully of that boy. Despite the fact that somewhere in the depths of her soul, she was holding on with all her might.

**Author Note: Wow I finished the second chapter which I was finding slightly painful to write but with all the paragraph breaking when switching between flashback and present is over a page on pages in size 12 font so it's a bit longer *yelps with joy "Yay!"***


	3. Star Gazing

_**Author Note:**_

_**I feel like I'm in the need of young Jerza fluff so, why not?**_

* * *

_**Star Gazing**_

The night sky shone like it was dusted with fragments of diamonds as Jellal and Erza huddled by the cell window. It was a bitter winter's night and Erza was shivering despite her blueheaded friend's close proximity. Their drivers had at least the decency to provide them with extra rags and straw lining for the frigid stone floor.

"It's so c-cold.." Erza mumbled half asleep into Jellal's shoulder.

"One day we'll have proper living conditions and a big hearth in our room to light a warm bright fire." he promised, nose tucked into her scarlet hair. Despite the cool air, his skin was warm against hers. Erza's lonliness faded as she nuzzled into Jellal's chest and was lulled by his beating heart.

"Look Erza! A shooting star!" Jellal pointed out the obvious as she had seen it before he had.

"I wish that one day we'll be able to talk like this out of the tower." She murmured before closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep. Jellal couldn't think of a better wish so he put his towards hers and enjoyed the moment.

* * *

Erza smiled bitterly before she fell asleep that night. Despite the shadier circumstances and the grave vow of hatred from an old friend, she had achieved her wish. She knew Jellal had realized this too.


End file.
